How To

How to Get Your Foot in the Door at a Company Where You Want to Work

How to Advance Your Career

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by Matt Alderton |
April 23, 2019

For most of us, the pinnacle of success is getting our dream job. Even better than that, however, is getting that job at your dream company.

"You're dying to work for Company X… You love their products, their brand and just about everything you hear about them. And while you visit their careers page nearly every day, you've yet to find an open role that's just right for your skills, experience and career goals," author Jenny Foss writes in an article for The Muse. "What should you do? Should you keep waiting and waiting for something to pop up, or is there a more proactive way to go about getting on their radar?"

According to Foss, there is a more proactive way: You can write a letter of interest.

"Unlike a cover letter, which you use to introduce yourself and make clear your fit for a specific position, a letter of interest… is more like a pitch letter," Foss continues. "You're going to introduce yourself, of course. But instead of targeting a certain role, this is your opportunity to spell out what you love about the organization, and sell them on why you'd be an asset to it."

A strong letter of interest has a couple of key components, according to Foss. First, you should explain why you love and admire the company. Next, you should explain who you are and why you think you're compatible with the company. Finally, you should explain what you can offer the organization.

"Do you have some ideas for how you could help this organization? Do you have specific skills that make you uniquely qualified to grow their business?" Foss asks. "Because you're not applying to a specific role, this is where you showcase what value you'd bring. Even though the company may not be hiring for your dream job at the moment, if nothing else, you immediately put yourself on their radar as someone they could hire down the road should they ever decide to expand their team. Best-case scenario, you open the door for them to create a role just for you."

Whatever the outcome, being proactive about the future you want is the first step toward actually achieving it.